It’s amazing how our interests change from time to time.

Some we keep for a short while, and others we enjoy our whole lives.

As a kid, I had a couple of them.

I was a pretty intense baseball card collector, and my prized stash included a 1954 Bowman Pee Wee Reese and a few rookie cards that aren’t worth as much today.

I was also into comics, earned several merit badges as a boy scout and played the drums until I realized I wasn’t very good.

But my real passion was watching wrestling on TV, and in my youth the best of the best was called the World Wrestling Federation.

I loved watching stars like Rowdy Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant.

It made for some great entertainment, and I was hooked.

When I was about 15, I visited my aunt and uncle in Des Moines, Iowa, for two weeks over Christmas. It also turned out that a WWF event was being held there over my vacation.

I asked my uncle if we could go, and he struck me a deal.

He said that if I beat him in a game of Super Nintendo golf, he would take me.

My uncle was a master at that game, so I knew my chances were slim.

Nonetheless, I had to try, and I’m glad I did because I won.

Now the golf game was played on a Monday, I believe, with the wrestling event on a Friday. My uncle — probably as stunned as I was that I won the game — avoided the issue as long as possible.

I repeatedly asked him if we were going to go and when we were going to buy tickets.

On the day of the event, I had almost given up, when he said, “let’s go.”

We didn’t have any tickets, but I didn’t care. My uncle said he would buy me a program at the arena, and that was good enough for me.

We arrived a little bit late, and one of the matches had already started.

We asked a staff member if we could still buy a program, and he pointed us into the arena.

Apparently, they didn’t sell or take tickets after the first match started, and we were able to walk right in. We bought the program and continued walking.

We walked right up to the ring where Hulk Hogan was battling Sgt. Slaughter.

Hogan won, but not before Slaughter tried to blind the future reality TV star with a powdery substance.

It was great.

I can’t believe my uncle pulled that off, and I’m glad he did.

This past Friday, I saw Hogan again.

He was signing his new book at the Mall of America, and I was just strolling by with a friend of mine from college.

It was kind of fun to see him there and the crowd of hundreds, and it reminded me of that night in Des Moines when Hogan beat Sgt. Slaughter, and I was there at ringside to see it.

Interests may come and go in our lives, but they leave lasting memories.

Even if it’s watching wrestling.